Chapter 6
Buffy struggled vainly against the short chains. They'd been fixed to a stalactite - which was grating against her back - but on the other side from her. She doubted the stalactite would break, as it was quite thick and was long enough that it ended only when the rocky floor of the cavern blocked its way.
"Don't try anything, Slayer. Those chains'll hold, but my temper won't," Spike warned.
The Chosen One continued her struggle. Kevin admired her courage, but was terrified that she was putting herself at unnecessary risk.
A fist shot out, a colossal burst of speed thrusting it harshly into the flesh of Buffy's tender abdomen. The Slayer grimaced, but stubbornly refused to cry out. She wasn't about to give Spike that pleasure.
"Oh, for God's sake, girl, speak!" Spike's good temper dissolved into a handful of atoms that wouldn't have been visible through a microscope and the vampire began hurling punches at Buffy, who groaned and grunted, but held in the raw screams that threatened to emit themselves with vicious brutality.
* * * * * *
"Nothing!" Angel's fear for Buffy's life had evolved into a caged, malicious animal locked away inside of him, until it emerged ferociously, attacking even the most remote of threats. He ran his hand through his hair, wishing he could hit something. For the first time, in possession of his soul, at least, he wanted nothing more than to throttle someone.
Xander turned on the panicking vampire.
"I think it's time you and I had words. Or fists, whichever you prefer. But it's your fault Buffy was taken, and I don't think you have the right to shout at us!"
"Xander, Angel is, strictly speaking, neither to blame for this unfortunate incident, nor is he shouting, least of all at us." Giles' quietly spoken words caused Xander to turn on the librarian.
"Don't you lecture me! At least I'm making an effort to find Buffy, not just trailing around after the rest of us!"
"Giles isn't just trailing around! He cares about Buffy just as much as we do, Xander," Willow intercepted, shocked and dismayed by her friend's outburst. They'd never find Buffy that way; surely Xander knew that!
* * * * * * Crystal peered into the still water that filled the silver bowl. Specifically designed for scrying, the bowl was ornately decorated with curling waves and pairs of hands with touching fingertips. A dainty golden chain hung from the rim, kept in place by several miniature brackets that were invisible to the naked eye. Several trinkets dangled form this chain, including tiny shards of all the most prominent rocks and gems in witchcraft, cut with meticulous precision.
The young witch placed Buffy's press-on nail in the water with shaking hands. If it sank, like so many things had when she'd tried scrying in the past, the boy was doomed. When the nail floated like a water lily, Crystal released a huge sigh of relief.
Now she'd completed that step, she relaxed her mind, allowing it to drift anywhere it wished, unheeded. Drawn to her last thought, its last attachment to it's owner, Crystal's mind wandered, as expected, to the nail. As the cave where Buffy was being kept came into view, she pulled her mind a little closer back to her body. She had to help the boy.
As a witch, she had no qualms about hurting the Slayer, who would surely kill her if she knew of Crystal's witchcraft, but hurting someone else was an entirely different matter.
Buffy struggled vainly against the short chains. They'd been fixed to a stalactite - which was grating against her back - but on the other side from her. She doubted the stalactite would break, as it was quite thick and was long enough that it ended only when the rocky floor of the cavern blocked its way.
"Don't try anything, Slayer. Those chains'll hold, but my temper won't," Spike warned.
The Chosen One continued her struggle. Kevin admired her courage, but was terrified that she was putting herself at unnecessary risk.
A fist shot out, a colossal burst of speed thrusting it harshly into the flesh of Buffy's tender abdomen. The Slayer grimaced, but stubbornly refused to cry out. She wasn't about to give Spike that pleasure.
"Oh, for God's sake, girl, speak!" Spike's good temper dissolved into a handful of atoms that wouldn't have been visible through a microscope and the vampire began hurling punches at Buffy, who groaned and grunted, but held in the raw screams that threatened to emit themselves with vicious brutality.
* * * * * *
"Nothing!" Angel's fear for Buffy's life had evolved into a caged, malicious animal locked away inside of him, until it emerged ferociously, attacking even the most remote of threats. He ran his hand through his hair, wishing he could hit something. For the first time, in possession of his soul, at least, he wanted nothing more than to throttle someone.
Xander turned on the panicking vampire.
"I think it's time you and I had words. Or fists, whichever you prefer. But it's your fault Buffy was taken, and I don't think you have the right to shout at us!"
"Xander, Angel is, strictly speaking, neither to blame for this unfortunate incident, nor is he shouting, least of all at us." Giles' quietly spoken words caused Xander to turn on the librarian.
"Don't you lecture me! At least I'm making an effort to find Buffy, not just trailing around after the rest of us!"
"Giles isn't just trailing around! He cares about Buffy just as much as we do, Xander," Willow intercepted, shocked and dismayed by her friend's outburst. They'd never find Buffy that way; surely Xander knew that!
* * * * * * Crystal peered into the still water that filled the silver bowl. Specifically designed for scrying, the bowl was ornately decorated with curling waves and pairs of hands with touching fingertips. A dainty golden chain hung from the rim, kept in place by several miniature brackets that were invisible to the naked eye. Several trinkets dangled form this chain, including tiny shards of all the most prominent rocks and gems in witchcraft, cut with meticulous precision.
The young witch placed Buffy's press-on nail in the water with shaking hands. If it sank, like so many things had when she'd tried scrying in the past, the boy was doomed. When the nail floated like a water lily, Crystal released a huge sigh of relief.
Now she'd completed that step, she relaxed her mind, allowing it to drift anywhere it wished, unheeded. Drawn to her last thought, its last attachment to it's owner, Crystal's mind wandered, as expected, to the nail. As the cave where Buffy was being kept came into view, she pulled her mind a little closer back to her body. She had to help the boy.
As a witch, she had no qualms about hurting the Slayer, who would surely kill her if she knew of Crystal's witchcraft, but hurting someone else was an entirely different matter.